Lid-support



E. E. LUTZHOFF.

LID SUPPORT.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 21. 1920.

1,378,591 at nt d May 17, 1921.

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E. E. LUTZHOFF.

LID SUPPORT.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 21.1920.

1,3785591, Patented May 17,1921.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

UNlTED STATES,

-ELMER E. LU'rzHorr, or JAMEsTowN, NEW YORK. 1

LID-SUPPORT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented. May 17, 1921.

Application filed June 21, 1920. Serial No. 390,562.

To. all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ELMER E. LUTZHOFF, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at the city of Jamestown, in the county of Chautauqua and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Lid-Supports, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification.

The invention relates to supports for hinged lids of talking machines, upr1g ht pianos, chests and similar articles, in which the lid is swung upward and which it is desirable to support at different heights; and the object of the improvement is to provide a simple and strong sprlng sup port by which the lid is firmly guided and poised in its upward and downward movement, and drops by gravitythe last portlon of its closure, thereby insuring the release of all strain upon the lid while in the closed position, yet permitting the automatic taking-up of the spring support when the l d is raised, said spring support holding 'sald lid with an equalized counterbalance at any point throughout the arc of the movement of said raised lid until its gravity drops at the closure of the same; and the invention consists in the novel features and combinations hereinafter set forth and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure'l is a perspective View of the preferred form of the lid support in the closed position as attached to a portion of the cabinet of a talking machine; and Fig. 2 shows an elevation of the lid support holding the lid in the raised position, the cabinet being in section. Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view'ofthe crescent shaped spring bell crank lever for the lid support. Fig. 1 is a sectional view at line 44 inv Fig. 1 showing the construction and arrangement of the same. Fig. 5 is a sectional view of the case showing anelevation of a modification of the lid support in the closed position, the raised position being shown in dotted out-line; Fig. 6 is a: perspective View of said modification of the preferred form of the lid support removed from the case in order to show the conformation of the different parts; and Fig. 7 is a sideelevation of said modified form with the parts in the raised position. Fig. 8 is a detailed perspective view of'the pivotal link with the flanged roller attached as used in. said modified form of the lid support.

Like characters of reference refer to corresponding parts in the several views.

The numeral 10 designates the case, cabinet or chest, and the numeral 11 the lid for the same, which is hinged at 12 of said case, cabinet or chest.

The support for the lid 11 preferably comprises a plate 13 which has the vertical slot 1 1 therein to receive the flanged stud and roller 15 which works upward and downward in said slot 141-. The plate 13 preferably has the lugs 16 whichare attached to aslotted escutcheon or top plate 17, the slot 18 therein being of sufiicient length to allow the full action of the lid support bar 19 as the lid 11 is raised and lowered.

The lid, support bar 19 has the flanged stud and roller 15 at its unattached lower end and is hinged to the bracket 20 at its upper end, said bracket 20 being attached to the inner side of the lid 11 so that when said lid is raised, the support bar 19 forms a connective link between the roller and stud 15 and the bracket piece 20 to hold the lid 11' at any desired point in the arc of its movement in raising the same.

The support bar 19 is controlled in its supporting movement by means of the crescent shaped bell crank lever arm 21 though unattached to said arm, which arm 21 is hinged or pivotally attached at 22 to the plate 13, and has the short arm 23 with the stud 2 1 thereon to which is connected the upper end of the spring 25, the lower end to the top w being preferably attached to a screw eye 26 which extends through the lug 27 on the lower end of. the plate 13, which screw eye 26 has the thumb nut 28 to adjustably attach said screw eye to the lug 27 and therecrank lever 21' being so proportioned to the arm 23 that the spring 25 supports the lid 11 at any point in its arc in raising and lower ingthe same until the moment of closure 7 when the roller 15 passes onto the vertical end 30 of said lever 21 and in consequence drops by gravity upon the case 10. The

approach to said drop can be made as gradual as desired by the curve of the corner 31 leading from the upper edge 29 to the end 30 of said arm, since it is apparent that the spring may thus be adjusted to gradually release the support of the lever 21 upon the roller 15.

As the lid is raised, the roller and stud 15 pass upward in the slot 1%, the spring arm 21 following and pressin upward on the roller 15 to aid in raising said lid 11, supporting the at any point above the corner 31 with an equalized pressure, that is, after the roller 15 has passed said corner 31 upon the upper edge 29 of the lever 21. The lever 21 follows the roller 15 until in the full raised position as shown in Fig. 2, said lever stands in the nearly horizontal position. It is apparent that completecontrol and equalization are thus obtained for the lid 11 and that the same will be relieved of all strain when in the closed position.

The modification shown in Figs. 58 provides a slightly different shaped unslotted supporting plate 32 for its coil spring 33, bell crank lever 341 with arm 35 and end 36 substantially the same, though in slightly different position from that shown in the preferred form in Figs. 1 1. A link arm 37 is pivotally attached at 38 to the lower end of the plate 32 and to the lower end of the support bar 10 at 39, thereby forming a toggle link support bar. A flanged roller 11 is provided on the link 37 which rides on the upper edge 42 of the crescent shaped bell crank lever in very much the same manner that the roller 15 rides on the edge 29 of the lever 21. It is apparent that the support 1O is free from, that is, unattached to the bell crank lever 34;, the only connection being the roller 41 as it rides on the upper edge 42 the curved arm 35. The plate 32 has a. stop 43 for the support bar 10 to limit the movement of the same and the raising of the lid at the desired point, said support bar 10 having a pivotal attaching bracketl l for attachment tothe lid. The spring 33 is attached by means of a lug 15 and screw eye and thumb nut 46 to the lower end of the plate 32 in substantially the same manner that the spring 25 is attached to the lug 27 in the preferred form. The plate 32 is turned to one side to decrease the length of the lid support.

It is apparent that the lid support mechanism shown in the modification attains a good purpose in much the same manner as the preferred form, but is not as simpleand easy of manufacture as is the preferred form in which the guide slot 1 1 holds all the parts firmly in alinement, yet permits their free action in controlling the raising and lowering of the lid 11.

It will be appreciated that when the lid 11 is in the raised position, there is substantially no weight or leverage upon the lid support. As the lid is moved downward, the leverage increases rapidly with its consequent weight upon the lid support. Hence it is absolutely essential that the arm 21 or 36 of the ball crank lever should be shaped in a curve or crescent so that it will extend beneath and support the lower end of the support bar 19 or 10 in all positions until said support bar passes over the angle 81, after which the lid will automatically drop by gravity as described. This gives a continuous support in all positions of said lid. In order to attain this essential purpose of a continuous support, the curved edge 29 of the arm 21 is usually an off curve. If said arm 21 were straight, it is apparent that the roller 15 and support bar 19 with the lid would drop almost immediately after said arm. 21 had left a substantially horizontalposition, the lid and support bar being wedgingl'y forced downward and to one side by the roller 15. The curving of the arm 21 or 36 entirely overcomes this difliculty and supports the lid in all positions above the angular point 31.

I claim as new:

1. In combination with a hinged lid, 21 supporting member movably connected to the lid, and a spring tensioned member arranged to lie in a substantially horizontal plane when the lid is open and to be moved downwardly by said supporting member upon closing of the lid, said spring tensioned member being formed with a curved face and with a free end and said supporting member being arranged to ride on the curved face and then over said free end of the spring tensioned member when the supporting member is in down position.

2. In combination with a hinged lid, a supporting member movably connected to the lid, and a spring tensioned member having an upper face and a face at an angle to the upper face, the supporting member being formed to ride on the upper face and then ride on and engage the end face and to lie opposite the latter.

3. In combination with a hinged lid, a supporting member movably connected to the lid, and a spring tensioned member having a part arranged to lie approximately horizontal and to engage the first member in supporting relation and exert upward tension thereon when thelid is open and to exert lateral pressure only on the first member when the lid is closed.

4. The combination with a caseor cabinet having a hinged lid of a support bar attached to said lid at its'upper end and unattached at its'lower end, and a spring bell crank lever arm support for said 1111- attached lower end of said support bar in raising and lowering said lid.

5. The combination with a case or cabinet having a hinged lid of a support bar attached to said lid at its upper end and unattached at its lower end, and a crescent shaped spring bell crank lever arm support for said unattached lower end of said support bar in raising and lowering said lid.

6. The combination with a case or cabinet having a hinged lid of a support bar hinged to said lid at its upper end, a roller on the unattached lower end of said support bar, and a bell crank lever arm shaped to receive said roller on its upper side to support said lid in any position in raising and lowering the same.

7. The combination with a case or cabinet havlng a hinged 11d of a support bar hinged to said lid at its upper end, a curved spring bell crank lever arm to support the lower end of said support bar in raising and lowering said lid, and the lower end of said bell crank lever arm shaped to release said support and drop said lid by gravity in its final closure movement.

8. The combination with a case or cabinet having a hinged lid of a support bar hinged to said lid at its upper end, a bell crank pivotally attached to said case having a crescent shaped arm so curved as to extend beneath the lower end of said support bar to support said lid in all positions in raising and lowering the same, and a spring attached to the opposite arm of said bell crank lever to give tensional holding power to said crescent shaped arm to support said lid.

9. The combination with a case or cabinet having a hinged lid of a support bar hinged to, said lid at its upper end, a bell crank pivotally attached to said case having a crescent shaped arm extending beneath the lower end of said support bar, a spring attached to the opposite arm of said bell crank lever to support said lid in all positions in raising and lowering the same, said'crescent shaped arm having a vertical end to permit closure of said lid by gravity as said lower end of said bar passesofi' from said crescent shaped arm.

10. The combination with a case or cabinet having a hinged lid of a support bar hinged to said lidat its upper end, a bell crank pivotally attached to said case having a crescent shaped arm extending beneath the lower end of said support bar, a spring attached to the opposite arm of said bell crank lever to support said lid in all positions in raising and lowering the same, a roller connected to the lower end of said support bar, and means for guiding the same in raising and lowering said lid.

11. A lid support comprising a plate attached to the cabinet, a support bar having a roller thereon, a bell crank lever pivotally attached to said plate having a curved arm upon which'said roller rides, a coil spring attached to the other arm of said bell crank lever at one end and to said plate at the other .with tensional adjustment therefor, the upper end of said support bar pivotally attached to said lid to support the same in any position, and means on said plate to guide said roller in raising and lowering said lid.

12. A lid support comprising. a plate having a vertical slot therein, a support bar having a roller thereon slidably engaging in said slot, a bell crank lever pivotally attached to said plate having a crescent shaped arm upon which said roller rides, a coil spring attached to the other arm of said bell crank at one end and to said plate at the other having adjusting meanstherefor,

the upper end of said support bar pivotally attached to said lid to support said lid in any position in. raising and lowering the same.

' In testimony whereof I have aflixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

ELMER E. LUTZHOFF. Witnesses:

C. V. SWANsoN, THEODORE THOMAS HAAG. 

